A while back, the company switched out the data terminals in the trucks. These are the computers that display things about the calls - who, what, where, and when. The old ones were MDCs, and they more or less worked. These were replaced by Ranger systems, with Windows CE and new software. These new systems had a faster CPU, larger and brighter screen, and a graphical touchscreen to boot. Unfortunately the hardware upgrade required the software to be rewritten, and in doing so, some usability and design flaws arose.
Knowing something about usability, software, and the tasks that the software has to do, the flaws really bugged me. I could tell what was going on, and what needed to be fixing. I took it upon my own to explore, to document it, to try to figure out why this upgrade felt so slow. The end result was a 28 page white paper, and much to my delight, it apparently did go up the chain of command. Originally, I refrained from posting it publicly for fear of embarrassing the company. But this paper is not meant to deride or harm the company, as it presents an opportunity for a solution. And the issues presented here are apparently industry-wide, as subcontracting can sometimes lead to the issues mentioned in "You are not their customer."
So, the latest revision of that pdf is here. There's no trade or company secrets, and all this you could learn and observe while riding in a tow truck. And it serves as an interesting case study in usability.
